PrintFlex Graphics

Located “on the hill” in St. Louis, Missouri, PrintFlex Graphics has become a leading manufacturer of promotional in-pack and on-pack coupons for consumer packaged goods. They specialize in the production of instant redemption coupons, folded booklets, labels, stickers, FDA approved inserts, games, sweepstakes and point of purchase and sale (POP and POS) materials. A cornerstone of their success is their ability to innovate and customize each job individually to meet a specific customer’s needs.

One of their big customers is Nestle, the multinational food and beverage company. To protect the value of their brands, Nestle holds its suppliers to very high standards of quality, and they came to PrintFlex with a few concerns about their ability to provide the quality and volume they needed on a consistent basis. Nestle needed PrintFlex to formalize their Quality Management Systems (QMS) to bring them into alignment with Nestle’s requirements.

Printflex didn’t have the in-house knowledge they needed to comply with Nestle’s requirements, so they turned to the experts at Missouri Enterprise for assistance. Their project managers worked directly with Nestle’s representative to help Printflex develop the quality manual they needed. A Corrective Action / Preventative Action (CAPA) plan was also introduced and implemented under Missouri Enterprise’s guidance, dramatically improving quality and consistency while reducing costs through waste minimization and process improvements. With ongoing help from Missouri Enterprise, employees are encouraged to write down issues they see throughout the company and regular meetings are held between management and the quality committee to decide and act upon the best suggestions for improvement.

“We really appreciate having a resource like Missouri Enterprise available to us,” says Liz Pecha-Poelker, owner of PrintFlex Graphics. “They’re so affordable…I’ve looked and others are much more expensive. Rather than hire someone it just makes sense for us to have a long-term relationship with Missouri Enterprise so they can help us keep on track with our changing needs. We’ve used them for several projects over the years, and we’ll continue to use them.”

By working with Missouri Enterprise to develop and implement a CAPA plan, PrintFlex Graphics has dramatically reduced production waste, enhanced operational efficiencies, improved employee buy-in and morale, and increased their bottom line profitability.